Abysmal to perfect and neat to dope
February 22, 2023 9:42 AM Subscribe
What words do English speakers use to describe things as good or bad or eh? In 2018 and 2019, YouGov did some surveys: Britons and Americans read selections of adjectives, such as "dreadful," "satisfactory," "decent," and "fantastic," and scored them from “very negative” to “very positive”. Meanings were broadly similar between the UK and the US but did differ, especially "at the most negative end of the spectrum." Also, across generations in the US, "cool," "awesome," and "nice" were the "top three words for describing something as generally favorable", but "fire," "far out," "superb," "poppin'," "fab," "righteous," and other adjectives differed in usage between age and ethnic groups.
Interesting that ‘quite good’ has a big difference between US and UK, which I would expect given the difference in usage, but ‘quite bad’ scores almost the same. *confused*
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 10:01 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Bloxworth Snout at 10:01 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
It always feels really awkward when an author of fiction tries to make up new slang to go into a novel without changing any of the grammar that surrounds it. Then again it always feels really awkward when they use current slang in settings that aren't anywhere near present era.
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:01 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:01 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Then again it always feels really awkward when they use current slang in settings that aren't anywhere near present era.
Let's test that thesis out:
Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. That was one dope-ass king.
Yup. Checks out.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:20 AM on February 22, 2023 [29 favorites]
Let's test that thesis out:
Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. That was one dope-ass king.
Yup. Checks out.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:20 AM on February 22, 2023 [29 favorites]
I found myself wondering recently at the violent nature of words (such as "slaps" and "bangin'") used to describe music these days.
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:21 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:21 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
mm... "Hit" has described a great musical success for some time.
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:29 AM on February 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:29 AM on February 22, 2023 [10 favorites]
It always feels really awkward when an author of fiction tries to make up new slang to go into a novel without changing any of the grammar that surrounds it.
To the contrary, Jack Womack's Elvissey comes to mind.
posted by y2karl at 10:37 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
To the contrary, Jack Womack's Elvissey comes to mind.
posted by y2karl at 10:37 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
as a Canadian you had me confused at good or bad or eh, eh
posted by elkevelvet at 10:37 AM on February 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by elkevelvet at 10:37 AM on February 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
Whenever people bring up the difference in UK/US adjective usage - particularly the under/overstatement thing - I always point them to Kieran Healy's
American Grad Student’s Guide to Interpreting Feedback from Faculty Trained in Britain and Ireland
and
The European Grad Student’s Guide to Interpreting Feedback from American Faculty
posted by lalochezia at 10:38 AM on February 22, 2023 [38 favorites]
American Grad Student’s Guide to Interpreting Feedback from Faculty Trained in Britain and Ireland
and
The European Grad Student’s Guide to Interpreting Feedback from American Faculty
posted by lalochezia at 10:38 AM on February 22, 2023 [38 favorites]
Deadly.
posted by flabdablet at 10:49 AM on February 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by flabdablet at 10:49 AM on February 22, 2023 [8 favorites]
"slaps" and "bangin'"
I think those might be referring to more pleasurable pursuits.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:56 AM on February 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
I think those might be referring to more pleasurable pursuits.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 10:56 AM on February 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
Odd that "very bad" was at the bottom of the scale here in the US. "Appalling,""abysmal," "awful,' "dreadful," and "terrible" all seem worse than "very bad" to me.
Maybe as an English major I've just read too much British literature?
posted by fogovonslack at 11:21 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Maybe as an English major I've just read too much British literature?
posted by fogovonslack at 11:21 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
That's so fetch!
posted by indexy at 11:31 AM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by indexy at 11:31 AM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
On fleek, anyone?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 11:41 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 11:41 AM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Greg_Ace, you've reminded me of an argument on Making Light 18 years ago. The person who said he didn't like rock music has since changed his mind but he noted how rock music jargon, to him, often included hostile words like "thrashing".
posted by brainwane at 11:42 AM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by brainwane at 11:42 AM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
Think I'll stick with cat melodeon. (Sad no Hiberno English made it in...)
posted by lesbiassparrow at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by lesbiassparrow at 11:52 AM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Gretchen & Lauren at Lingthusiasm and guest Randall Munroe recently tried predicting the next "cool" [transcript].
Gretchen: So, “sop” seems like it’s got potential. “Numb.” I dunno, I just feel like “numb” could mean “cool.” “Left.” I dunno, maybe it’s kind of “out from left field” or sort of bizarre. As a left-handed person, I kind of like this one . . . “Sunk.” I dunno, “sunk” could mean “cool.” These have got some good acoustics to them.
You first heard it here.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:05 PM on February 22, 2023
Gretchen: So, “sop” seems like it’s got potential. “Numb.” I dunno, I just feel like “numb” could mean “cool.” “Left.” I dunno, maybe it’s kind of “out from left field” or sort of bizarre. As a left-handed person, I kind of like this one . . . “Sunk.” I dunno, “sunk” could mean “cool.” These have got some good acoustics to them.
You first heard it here.
posted by BobTheScientist at 12:05 PM on February 22, 2023
This post is sick!
(I turn 70 in June. Wanna make sumpin' of it?)
posted by BlueHorse at 12:08 PM on February 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
(I turn 70 in June. Wanna make sumpin' of it?)
posted by BlueHorse at 12:08 PM on February 22, 2023 [9 favorites]
I always find it really really weird that British people describe food in the same way they describe their romantic partner (lovely, beautiful, nice)
posted by rhymedirective at 12:15 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by rhymedirective at 12:15 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Oh, and "far out"? Has anyone used that non-sarcastically since 1972?
posted by rhymedirective at 12:16 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by rhymedirective at 12:16 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Wizard!
posted by Foosnark at 12:22 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Foosnark at 12:22 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
Oh, and "far out"? Has anyone used that non-sarcastically since 1972?
Blur in 1994
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 12:25 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Blur in 1994
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 12:25 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
rhymedirective: Oh, and "far out"? Has anyone used that non-sarcastically since 1972?
The fun thing about "far out" and later "dude" in the 80s/90s was that they could be used to express any emotion whatsoever, depending upon tone and facial expression. Is there a term for exclamations like this?
posted by indexy at 12:26 PM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
The fun thing about "far out" and later "dude" in the 80s/90s was that they could be used to express any emotion whatsoever, depending upon tone and facial expression. Is there a term for exclamations like this?
posted by indexy at 12:26 PM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
elkevelvet - sorry!
Also if anyone can point to a survey like these that is newer than 4-5 years old I would enjoy reading it.
posted by brainwane at 12:45 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Also if anyone can point to a survey like these that is newer than 4-5 years old I would enjoy reading it.
posted by brainwane at 12:45 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
When I was in London in 1990 and 1991, everything was “brilliant.” Over the next few years I started to hear it here in California once in awhile. Probably all the British shows on PBS…
posted by njohnson23 at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2023
posted by njohnson23 at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2023
speaking of far out i had a boss that called me six sigma (6σ).
posted by wmo at 1:04 PM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by wmo at 1:04 PM on February 22, 2023 [3 favorites]
When I was in London in 1990 and 1991, everything was “brilliant.” Over the next few years I started to hear it here in California once in awhile. Probably all the British shows on PBS…
Brilliant!
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:08 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Brilliant!
posted by EndsOfInvention at 1:08 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
can't read articles: they've got some kind of blur thing going on ...
oh wait, after a while, it went away, wtf
posted by scruss at 1:16 PM on February 22, 2023
oh wait, after a while, it went away, wtf
posted by scruss at 1:16 PM on February 22, 2023
Gen Xers, who are caught in the middle of Millennials and Baby Boomers, do not have any words that distinctly belong to them
We would have lots of them (e.g. 'dope,' 'fresh,' and 'fire,' which all originate in '80s-'90s hip-hop), except that the millennials and Boomers keep taking ours.
posted by box at 1:26 PM on February 22, 2023 [14 favorites]
We would have lots of them (e.g. 'dope,' 'fresh,' and 'fire,' which all originate in '80s-'90s hip-hop), except that the millennials and Boomers keep taking ours.
posted by box at 1:26 PM on February 22, 2023 [14 favorites]
Word up, homes
posted by gottabefunky at 1:26 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by gottabefunky at 1:26 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
1993: Rick Rubin conducts a funeral for the word ‘Def’. RIP.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 2:13 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 2:13 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
This post is horrorshow.
posted by JohnFromGR at 2:13 PM on February 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by JohnFromGR at 2:13 PM on February 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
Capital!
posted by clavdivs at 2:16 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by clavdivs at 2:16 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Gen Xers, who are caught in the middle of Millennials and Baby Boomers, do not have any words that distinctly belong to them,...
I'm 52, solid Gen X. My generation is awesome! I worked with a gender fluid person who was about 30 years old. They would often describe things as "Sick!" like an interjection. It always sounded weird to me. I understood it, but it's just wrong to my elderly ears. And "dope" always sounds try-hard to me, no matter the age of the person saying it.
I use "neat!" sometimes in way that's self-consciously ironic to my own ears, but listeners probably think I'm genuine with it. (I think of the Five Neat Guys sketches from SCTV)
I was really interested to read this article after reading the post... but I was disappointed as the results were pretty much what I would have guessed them to be.
posted by SoberHighland at 2:20 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm 52, solid Gen X. My generation is awesome! I worked with a gender fluid person who was about 30 years old. They would often describe things as "Sick!" like an interjection. It always sounded weird to me. I understood it, but it's just wrong to my elderly ears. And "dope" always sounds try-hard to me, no matter the age of the person saying it.
I use "neat!" sometimes in way that's self-consciously ironic to my own ears, but listeners probably think I'm genuine with it. (I think of the Five Neat Guys sketches from SCTV)
I was really interested to read this article after reading the post... but I was disappointed as the results were pretty much what I would have guessed them to be.
posted by SoberHighland at 2:20 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
In barely-related news, I just got an invitation to a conference on sustainable technology that one of my professional societies is organizing, called "SusTech 2023," and my xennial ass can't stop laughing.
posted by 7segment at 2:25 PM on February 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by 7segment at 2:25 PM on February 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
many cringe, but with "On fleek, anyone?" you flatter, Insert Clever Name Here.
posted by k3ninho at 2:33 PM on February 22, 2023
posted by k3ninho at 2:33 PM on February 22, 2023
Brilliant!
Guinness had a bunch of these commercials.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:36 PM on February 22, 2023
Guinness had a bunch of these commercials.
posted by The_Vegetables at 2:36 PM on February 22, 2023
Gen Xers, who are caught in the middle of Millennials and Baby Boomers, do not have any words that distinctly belong to them
Harsh, dude, that's not gnarly. We like totes do.
posted by mygothlaundry at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Harsh, dude, that's not gnarly. We like totes do.
posted by mygothlaundry at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
speaking of far out i had a boss that called me six sigma (6σ).
"Just so we're clear, would you suggest a one- or a two-tailed test?"
posted by aws17576 at 2:58 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
"Just so we're clear, would you suggest a one- or a two-tailed test?"
posted by aws17576 at 2:58 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
BULLY!
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 3:02 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 3:02 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
Gen Xers, who are caught in the middle of Millennials and Baby Boomers, do not have any words that distinctly belong to them
That is hella harshing my mellow.
posted by chavenet at 3:04 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
That is hella harshing my mellow.
posted by chavenet at 3:04 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Gen Xers, who are caught in the middle of Millennials and Baby Boomers, do not have any words that distinctly belong to them, but they skew toward Millennials with the use of “fire” (4%) and “fresh” (5%) and toward Baby Boomers with phrases like “wicked” (9%).
The full wordlist doesn’t seem to include any distinctly GenX words like “radical”, “excellent”, or “extreme”, or “gnarly”. It does include “rad” and “awesome”, but man, I *still* find “radical!” coming out of my mouth without any conscious decision to use such a distinctly eighties choice.
posted by egypturnash at 3:14 PM on February 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
The full wordlist doesn’t seem to include any distinctly GenX words like “radical”, “excellent”, or “extreme”, or “gnarly”. It does include “rad” and “awesome”, but man, I *still* find “radical!” coming out of my mouth without any conscious decision to use such a distinctly eighties choice.
posted by egypturnash at 3:14 PM on February 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
I was born in 1980 (so a Xennial, I suppose?) and my peers and I say "dude" not only as a way to address someone, but as an equivalent to "cool" but also pretty much any other meaning you want to give it. (It could be anything from "wow, that's so great!" to "are you KIDDING ME" to "I can't believe you just said that.") Such a versatile word!
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 4:03 PM on February 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by leftover_scrabble_rack at 4:03 PM on February 22, 2023 [6 favorites]
Oh, and "far out"? Has anyone used that non-sarcastically since 1972?
I still use it (at least when I'm alone) and I always hear it in the voice and intonation of Jeff Lebowski, usually followed by the word 'man'.
Does that make it, like, non-sarcastic?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:03 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
I still use it (at least when I'm alone) and I always hear it in the voice and intonation of Jeff Lebowski, usually followed by the word 'man'.
Does that make it, like, non-sarcastic?
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:03 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
(Honestly, I love all of these superlatives. I love that they are always changing and evolving.)
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:05 PM on February 22, 2023
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:05 PM on February 22, 2023
Totally tubular. I said this as a jest one too many times and it slipped into regular, non-ironic rotation for a while.
I am baffled at this list of 101 California slang words from Berlitz. Though I did enjoy this pair:
I am baffled at this list of 101 California slang words from Berlitz. Though I did enjoy this pair:
Yeah no = Noposted by spamandkimchi at 4:06 PM on February 22, 2023 [7 favorites]
No yeah = Agreeing with you
Oh, and surprised we got this far without a least one 'Fuhgeddaboudit!'
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:08 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:08 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
(e.g. 'dope,' 'fresh,' and 'fire,' which all originate in '80s-'90s hip-hop
I've always thought "fire" originated in the 1970s with the Ohio Players.
posted by fuse theorem at 4:17 PM on February 22, 2023
I've always thought "fire" originated in the 1970s with the Ohio Players.
posted by fuse theorem at 4:17 PM on February 22, 2023
These are some bodacious words!
posted by JohnFromGR at 4:18 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by JohnFromGR at 4:18 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
This list, upon consideration, is studly, phat, and zarjaz.
Okay I don't think anyone actually uses zarjaz except for middle-aged Englishmen who read too much 2000AD in their formative years, or people who want to poke fun at their friends who fit that qualification. :)
posted by egypturnash at 4:43 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Okay I don't think anyone actually uses zarjaz except for middle-aged Englishmen who read too much 2000AD in their formative years, or people who want to poke fun at their friends who fit that qualification. :)
posted by egypturnash at 4:43 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
leftover scrabble rack > my peers and I say "dude" not only as a way to address someone, but as an equivalent to "cool" but also pretty much any other meaning you want to give it.
OH YEAH the "Duuuuuuuude!" of amazement. I just said that to someone the other day. Doesn't matter what gender they are, you can use the Dude Superlative to express delight and joy. Unless they are just starting a transition away from male pronouns and are super prickly about any hint of those applied to them. I was like that for a while and now I just do not care, if I do something that makes you say "Duuuuuuuude!"with a positive tone then I am delighted.
posted by egypturnash at 4:52 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
OH YEAH the "Duuuuuuuude!" of amazement. I just said that to someone the other day. Doesn't matter what gender they are, you can use the Dude Superlative to express delight and joy. Unless they are just starting a transition away from male pronouns and are super prickly about any hint of those applied to them. I was like that for a while and now I just do not care, if I do something that makes you say "Duuuuuuuude!"with a positive tone then I am delighted.
posted by egypturnash at 4:52 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
There could be entire theses written on the variations in meaning of the word 'grand' in Ireland.
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:24 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by TwoWordReview at 5:24 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
I've always thought "fire" originated in the 1970s with the Ohio Players.
We didn't start the fire.
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:25 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
We didn't start the fire.
posted by Greg_Ace at 5:25 PM on February 22, 2023 [1 favorite]
Gen Xers, who are caught in the middle of Millennials and Baby Boomers, do not have any words that distinctly belong to them…
That’s just so on brand.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:39 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
That’s just so on brand.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 5:39 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
Notable lacuna: About that car and its relative merits.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:56 PM on February 22, 2023
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 5:56 PM on February 22, 2023
It feels weird to discuss these terms without discussing the appropriation of AAVE. There was a bland discussion about different words used by ethnic groups, but no real willingness to contend with this idea. Black culture is both heavily critiqued and also used by white people to appropriate as a signifier of their own cultural prowess.
posted by kaelynski at 6:49 PM on February 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
posted by kaelynski at 6:49 PM on February 22, 2023 [12 favorites]
We would have lots of them (e.g. 'dope,' 'fresh,' and 'fire,' which all originate in '80s-'90s hip-hop), except that the millennials and Boomers keep taking ours.
It's both bogus and heinous. Gag me with a spoon.
posted by Foosnark at 7:48 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's both bogus and heinous. Gag me with a spoon.
posted by Foosnark at 7:48 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Nobody will take "harsh realm" away from Gen X, probably.
posted by away for regrooving at 8:55 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by away for regrooving at 8:55 PM on February 22, 2023 [5 favorites]
How can you deny GenX our wordage.
posted by Miko at 9:57 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Miko at 9:57 PM on February 22, 2023 [2 favorites]
Dude, we just copacetic.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:18 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by a humble nudibranch at 10:18 PM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]
Just today on the mastodons there was a poll, "Who is the most ignored generation?" And the options were the Silent Generation, Baby Boomers, Millennials, Gen Z.
I see you, friends.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:52 AM on February 23, 2023 [12 favorites]
I see you, friends.
posted by seanmpuckett at 4:52 AM on February 23, 2023 [12 favorites]
The word "awesome" should be reserved only for the numinous and/or incomprehensible. It is way too over used.
posted by DJZouke at 5:34 AM on February 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by DJZouke at 5:34 AM on February 23, 2023 [2 favorites]
Let's test that thesis out:
Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. That was one dope-ass king.
Yup. Checks out.
basically a direct quote from maria dahvana headley's translation of beowulf (which i found to be "cringe")
posted by inire at 6:49 AM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden, he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. That was one dope-ass king.
Yup. Checks out.
basically a direct quote from maria dahvana headley's translation of beowulf (which i found to be "cringe")
posted by inire at 6:49 AM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Interesting pair of articles. I would have thought they could define the age ranges instead of “boomer,” etc. It isn’t like there’s a commonly-agreed definition. Maybe they did somewhere and I missed it in the verbiage. They *did* discuss sample size and things, so could be worse.
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 1:35 PM on February 23, 2023
posted by Gilgamesh's Chauffeur at 1:35 PM on February 23, 2023
Once you get older you start to forget which slang is new, old, cool, not cool, etc. Like I first heard “fire” in 2022 and thought it was new. I tend to use cool/sucks. “Cool” is like the little black dress/ jeans and a tee of slang. It’ll never die.
My wife says I have the soul of a 90 year old man, because I just use random expressions from a period between about 1880 and 1995 when I stopped being cool. I don’t even know I'm doing it. Yes, 1880; not a typo.
posted by caviar2d2 at 3:18 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
My wife says I have the soul of a 90 year old man, because I just use random expressions from a period between about 1880 and 1995 when I stopped being cool. I don’t even know I'm doing it. Yes, 1880; not a typo.
posted by caviar2d2 at 3:18 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
The one that kills me these days is "not OK", which I've seen applied to anything in the range of something mildly upsetting to crimes against humanity.
posted by emeiji at 3:38 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by emeiji at 3:38 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
Any time I use any slang word - new or old - in conversation, it's in the format "[slang word/phrase], as the kids say" using the vocal version of double-quote fingers. That way people never know if I'm using it ironically or not.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:48 PM on February 23, 2023
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:48 PM on February 23, 2023
Not even if you're using it "ironically," as the kids say.
posted by flabdablet at 10:25 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by flabdablet at 10:25 PM on February 23, 2023 [1 favorite]
As a dad with an 11 year old son, I enjoy using his slang in slightly incorrect ways and watching him cringe.
"These lima beans are busting! And that is not a cap you wear on your head!"
posted by Fleebnork at 5:05 AM on February 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
"These lima beans are busting! And that is not a cap you wear on your head!"
posted by Fleebnork at 5:05 AM on February 24, 2023 [2 favorites]
"Yeet!" as the kids say.
posted by flabdablet at 7:46 AM on February 24, 2023
posted by flabdablet at 7:46 AM on February 24, 2023
Calhoun - Heavy Sugar
Nearly every line in this song is a mostly forgotten bit of slang, some international.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:24 AM on February 24, 2023
Nearly every line in this song is a mostly forgotten bit of slang, some international.
posted by The_Vegetables at 8:24 AM on February 24, 2023
No mention of "iconic". That's the one word that Millennial-ish folks use a lot and use it with a slightly different connotation to my original GenX understanding. ie, I kind of wished they would stop saying "iconic" so much. But whatever.
posted by alikins at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by alikins at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by cubeb at 9:51 AM on February 22, 2023 [4 favorites]